|
|
|
2006-08-29 20:35:38
|
 |
Article by David Walker |
 |
|
Portsmouth
Odds: 1000/1
Last Five Seasons
2005/06 - 17 (Premiership), 2004/05 - 16 (Premiership), 2003/04 - 13 (Premiership), 2002/03 - 1
(Championship, Promoted), 2001/02 - 17 (Championship).
2005/06 Cup Progress
FA Cup Fourth Round vs Liverpool (h) - lost 2-1.
Carling Cup Second Round vs Gillingham (a) - lost 3-2 after extra time.
Top Goal Scorer 2005/06: Lomano Lua Lua (striker) and Gary O'Neill - 7 goals each.
Players In
David Thompson (Wigan Athletic - Free), Glen Johnson (Chelsea - Loan).
Players Out
John Viafara (Southampton - Undisclosed), Brian Priske (FC Bruges - Free), Gregory Vignal (Lens - Free), Vincent Pericard (Stoke City - Free), Gary Silk (Notts County - Free), Andrea Guatelli (Released), Aliou Cisse (Released), Collins Mbesuma (Released), Sander Westerveld (Released).
Portsmouth survived the drop last season after languishing in the bottom three for much of the campaign. The rescue act was down to former manager Harry Redknapp, who returned to the Fratton Park hot seat just a year after leaving for bitter rivals Southampton.
A six game unbeaten run between March and April saw Pompey scramble together enough points to beat relegation with four points to spare but Redknapp will have his work cut out again this season.
With plenty of money to spend, he has been thwarted in the transfer market this summer. Celtic's Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov was high on the wanted list but he failed with a £5 million bid, despite the player wanting a move to the Premier League. Aston Villa turned down Redknapp's offer of £4.5 million for midfielder Gareth Barry and Real Betis rejected a bid for Brazilian striker Edu, who netted 11 goals in 31 matches last season.
Portsmouth were on the verge of breaking the transfer record fee with the £10 million capture of Benfica midfielder Manuel Fernandes but the youngster, who was not selected for Portugal's World Cup squad, but that transfer also failed.
Redknapp has managed to sign Arsenal centre back Sol Campbell on a free transfer following five years, five major trophies and 197 appearances for the North London side. Wigan Athletic midfielder David Thompson, a former England international, also arrived on a free transfer, following spells at Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City and Liverpool.
Chelsea defender Glen Johnson, who has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge following a £6 million switch from West Ham United in the summer of 2003, has joined the club on a season long loan.
Verdict
The arrival of Sol Campbell will provide some much needed defensive stability and Redknapp is slowly shipping out the dead wood, but survival will be the number one priority next season above everything else.
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
Soccer training help (Popularity:  ): Soccer is a sport that has increased greatly in popularity the past few years. Part of this is thanks to the professional leagues that have developed in the United States.•Powerful drills to develop lightning speed off the mark and blazing acceleration over 10-15 yards.
•How to combine strength, power and flexibility training so you, or your team are, as fast as possible.
•SAQ training, what it consists of and lots of sample ...
Bookmakers Soccer Predictions - Top Verses Secondary Leagues - 2008-09 (Popularity: ): The accuracy of bookmakers' soccer predictions differs between top and secondary European leagues. Assuming that bookmakers try to minimize payoffs for the winners, their predictions' accuracy can be estimated by comparing betting odds and real match outcomes. Bettors can make profits by analyzing the accuracy of the bookmakers' predictions for each league and focusing on leagues where their performance is poor. This article compares between the accuracy of soccer predictions ...
Soccer Freestyle - A Display of Skills (Popularity: ): Soccer freestyle is the new phenomenon sweeping the world of contact sports. Freestyling tricks are usually done to express one self. But ultimate mastery of the ball and how to maneuver it can be one of the most important factors to win the soccer match and inject thrill and excitement to the game itself.Practicing alone with a soccer ball can bring benefits to the player. At present, there are already ...
NCAA Women's Soccer and the Empowered Female Gender (Popularity: ): Heard of NCAA women's soccer? What immediately enter our minds when we hear the word soccer or football are men playing in the out field. But women too can play football like men do. Although soccer is often played by the male gender and we often associate this contact sport with strength, stamina and endurance, women can play the game like their counterpart. With their strength and agility, men seem ...
Thoughts on Soccer Haters (Popularity: ): When I lived in South Africa, my girlfriend at the time took me to see a cricket match. I got dressed in a nice white shirt and tie, bought a hat at the grounds, and for the rest of the day sat in a shaded box trying to figure out what was going on. The game looked vaguely like baseball, except that there were only two bases, nobody wore mitts, ...
|
|
Related Business |
|
Ffooty (Popularity: ): Pick 11 Premiership players and score based performance over the season.
Prediction Premiership (Popularity: ): League with info and links to FA premiership clubs.
University of Texas Men's Lacrosse (Popularity: ): Season preview, player roster, pictures, alumni information, related links and contact information.
Flagship Portsmouth (Popularity: ): Based at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth, Flagship Portsmouth is responsible for three of Britain's oldest and most historic warships - Henry VII's doomed flagship Mary Rose, Nelson's flagship HMS Victory and the world's first iron battleship, HMS Warrior.
Children's Museum of Portsmouth (Popularity: ): Exhibits, calendar, general and contact information. Portsmouth, NH.
Blicker-Schuhe (Popularity: ): Offering high heels, boots, stilettos and platforms up to size 15, men's shoes, accessories and stockings. Catalogue with company history and season preview. (Hamburg, Germany)
Rotary Club of Portsmouth (Popularity: ): Portsmouth, New Hampshire - District 7780
TSOfficePool - Pro Football (Popularity: ): Pro football office pool manager includes the 2006 football schedule. The right tool to manage your office pool that gives you a wide variety of pool configurations and options. The "Easy Pool Setup" feature makes it easy to setup your pool. With pool options that include 2 prediction methods, confidence pts (2 different scoring ranges), point spreads, tie breakers, and 3 different score keeping systems, you can customize to your ...
Martin & Co. (Popularity: ): Martin & Co Lettings in Portsmouth, your lettings and property management specialists. Since opening in 2005 our business and reputation has gone from strength to strength, with an ever increasing portfolio of properties and excellent Customer Service in Portsmouth and Southsea. Our office is based in central Southsea, close to Elm Grove & Albert Road and only minutes from Gunwharf Quays & Old Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Raceway Park (Popularity: ): One mile from the city of Portsmouth is this 3/8's dirt racing oval. Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks and Bombers classes are featured.
|
|
|
|
Print article
Bookmark this page